A family with a passion for hospitality and a desire to turn travellers’ dreams into reality.

It all began with Luigi's mother, Maria, who at the end of the 1960s, turned the little family house "Casa Maria" into a holiday home, where she accommodated tourists in the summer. She did it to help her husband Francesco, who had emigrated to New York to work as a chef in one of the famous Italian restaurants in the "Little Italy" district.

Maria's teenage sons Giacomo and Luigi gave her a hand and, during the summer holidays, they also contributed by working in the garden to provide guests with vegetables, fruit and wine. Over time and with many sacrifices, in the early 1980s, the little family house was turned into a small hotel, the "Parco Maria", surrounded by a beautiful garden. This change brought the family together, with all of them working to manage "Parco Maria".

Luigi, however, at the beginning of the 1990s, gave way to his great dream and founded the IMPERATORE TRAVEL WORLD Tour Operator, today a leader in incoming tourism on the Italian market with branches in various countries. In 2003, the family acquired the THERASIA RESORT SEA & SPA, located on the island of Vulcano, in the Aeolian Islands archipelago in Sicily, in a fantastic position overlooking the sea and in a setting of unspoilt nature.

In 2011, they added BOTANIA RELAIS & SPA in the centre of a 3-hectare park. Both hotels are managed with love and expertise, also thanks to his wife Rita, who keeps a watchful eye on life at the two hotels on a daily basis, working to offer guests a perfect welcome and to make their stay an unforgettable life experience.

After attending a Swiss Hotel Management school and gaining experience in the luxury hotel industry around the world, Francesca, daughter of Luigi and Rita, joined the business in 2021 and started working at the Therasia Resort Sea & Volcano Spa.

After training abroad and various experiences, the second-born son of Luigi and Rita, Pierluigi, will also be joining the business soon, to give his contribution.

Today, the THERASIA RESORT SEA & SPA and the BOTANIA RELAIS & SPA are part of "THE LEADING HOTELS of the World", a leading hospitality organisation representing the best in luxury hospitality around the world.